“It was very nerve-racking” – Gareth Bale says he was out to ‘impress’ Rory McIlroy at the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am

Gareth Bale said he was a little nervous as he teed up with Rory McIlroy for the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am at Wentworth on Wednesday, September 13.

Bale and McIlroy were joined by former English footballer and presenter Jermaine Jenas (JJ) in a group at Wentworth. The former Wales captain has a handicap of 0.5, while Jenas played with a handicap of 3.

Speaking about his experience playing with McIlroy, Bale said he was nervous and was looking to impress him.

He was quoted as saying via Sky Sports:

"It was very nerve-wracking. And also, you kind of want to impress him a little bit."

When a Sky Sports reporter told him that McIlroy was impressed, he said it was nice to hear.

"The first tee is always nerve-racking," he continued. "We're not used to hitting golf balls. I just said to JJ at the start, 'Just get the ball in the air and just look for us hopefully.'"

Gareth Bale revealed that they were 10-under par at the time of the chat.

"I have contributed three birdies so far but Rory is on a roll," he further stated. "Let's hope he keeps it up."

Many stars besides Bale and Jenas participated in the event. The other names included former footballers John Terry, Theo Walcott, and Ben Foster. England's legendary cricketers Stuart Broad and current England star James Anderson also featured in the Pro-Am, along with Northern Ireland horse racing star AP McCoy.

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Gareth Bale to play the Ryder Cup All-star game

It's no secret that Gareth Bale loves golf, and he's been actively playing the sport since retiring from football at the start of this year. He has played in a few events this year, and the tally keeps on adding.

Having played at the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am, Bale is scheduled to compete at the Ryder Cup All-Star match ahead of the main event. The event will take place on September 27 at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy.

The former Real Madrid star will be in Team Monty, captained by Colin Montgomerie. He will team up with names like ATP World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Garrett Hilbert, Italian surfer Leonardo Fioravanti, and G4D player Kipp Popert.

Bale was quoted as saying via the Ryder Cup:

"The Ryder Cup is a special event, having experienced the incredible atmosphere at Europe’s win in 2010, I can’t wait to experience some of that magic again in Rome in a few weeks’ time."

"The All-Star Match, under the Captaincy of Colin Montgomerie, will be an amazing experience and I’m really looking forward to tee-ing it up with some great people. It’s sure to be a top event and one the fans will really enjoy."

Team Monty will be against Team Pavin, led by Corey Pavin. Here are the complete details of both the teams:

Team Pavin

• Corey Pavin, Andriy Shevchenko
• Kathryn Newton, Victor Cruz
• Carlos Sainz and Tomasso Perrino

Team Monty

• Colin Montgomerie, Gareth Bale
• Garrett Hilbert, Leonardo Fioravanti
• Novak Djokovic, Kipp Popert